Automatic welder&#39;s hood control



May 31, 1949- W. s. BRoFFlT-r ET AL 2,471,719

' AUTOMATIC WELDERS HOOD CONTROL Filed Jan. 19, 1946 /7770 Mfrs.

Patented May 31, 1949 AUTOMATIC WELDERS HOOD CONTROL WilgusS. Broffitt, Indianapolis, Ind., and Homer F. Montague,` Lexington, Ky.

Application January 19, 1946, Serial No. 642,190r

(Cl: 2e-8) 1 Claim.

This invention relates to welding apparatus including the welding device; a protective helmet and circuit means operatively connecting same together.

Heretofore in the artsucha helmet was controlled by. voltage variationand hence when the character of the work wasvaried, the helmet was controlled in a manner such that protection was eliminated or the helmet was so controlled that intermittent shutter action occurred, which was most disconcerting and objectionable in practice. Other forms ofv such apparatus had other well known objections, for example, the use of vtwo independent sources of energy, among others.

The chief object of the4 present invention is t0 provide in such apparatus a control thatavoids all the known objectionable vfeaturesor imperfections of the prior art structures and retains all the advantages, thereof,

The chief feature. of the present. invention resides in the circuit control of. a movable. protective element in ahelmetandthe electrode including weldingY circuit.

Other objects and. features of the. invention willr beset forthinore fully hereinafter.

The full nature of the invention willbe understood from. the. accompanyingA drawings and the following description and-claim 1.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a weldngzapparatus. embodying. the. invention and that form whereinthe helmetshutter or shield` is. electrically closed and is normally constrained to-open position.-

Fig. 2. is, a.` schematic diagram of that portion of the apparatus wherein the helmet shutter or shield is electrically opened and is normally constrained to closed position in other words, the reverse ofthe form di'agrammatically illustrated in Fig. l.

Fig. l-A isaschematc diagram 'of'a modification of a portion of the. system illustrated in Fig.. 1..

Fig. 2-A is a similar View ofA asimilarmodification of the form illustrated in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings I0 indicates a single source of energy having the required or desired capacity. It is connected by line II to the work or ground I2. The source I is connected by line I3 to contact I4, preferably through resistance 60. An adjacent contact I5 is connected by line IB to electrode holder I'I including electrode or welding rod I8. The holder may be of any suitable type. A bridging bar I9, with contacts and 2|, is provided to complete the Welding circuit whencontacts I4-20 and I5-2I are in engagement.

This is one switcharrangement. Other types may be substituted, provided that between normally openand normally closed positions the said movable switch element is capable of intermediate positioning without closing, by substantially short-circuiting, the welding circuit across the switch and the purpose hereof will appear hereinafter.

In said Fig. 1, 22 indicates diagrammatically a portion of an operator's helmet having opening 23` therein. A protective lens, shield or shutter 24 of the conventional type is juxtapositioned thereto and is movable alternately to expose said opening and close the same. When closed, the

operator maylook` at the arc without eye strain andi-njury andobviously without spark burning should the material and/or rodL spark or spatter.

In Fig. l the lens is normallyk constrained to open position-.by spring means 2.5 or the like and is moved toI closed position by electrically operated means, herein diagrammatically illusftrated. as a solenoid 26I with core 2l, the latter being. connected at 28. tothe lens.

Juxtap'ositioned to the opening 23 or associated with core 2-1: is a switchmember 29 adjacent switch member 30y having prime designated contacts. When the shield iszin closed position a protective circuit (see resistance 36a) for solenoid 26- is conditioned by opening ythe contacts 293U' as. by the shutter or exten-sion 24a thereof dropping upony member 29 and forcing Contact` 29 outof engagementwith contact.l 311-'. Note this switch is not opened. until the helmet opening is fully closed. or' shielded.

Line 33.-.fromf'lineY I3 connectsl to one terminal 34; of. solenoidV 26- through resistance 32. The other .terminal .35.is connected through resistance 36a `tofone contact 3l` of (see Fig. 1) a normally open switch having contact 38 connected byline 39e to line II-. Until switch 35i-38 is closed the solenoid 26 can not be energized andthe shield cani notI close the: helmet. opening. The weight of core 49 and main welding circuit contacts plus the force of spring 5I normally holds switch member 38 depressed even though spring 40 tends to force Contact 38 to engage contact 3l. When the core is elevated the hold down 53 is elevated. Then and only then can spring close switch 31-38.

A multiple section solenoid 99 includes at least two sections 4I and 42, the former having one terminal connected by line 44 to switch mem- 3 ber 43 and contact 43 The other section has one terminal connected by line 46 to line I3. The other two terminals are connected together at 41 and by line 48 to line I6. Line 45 connects contact 43a to line I3.

Within solenoid 99 is the elongated core 49 insulatably connected at 50 to .bridging bar I9. Spring 5I normally constrains same against stops 52. Core 49 is insulatably connected by member 53 to switch member 38. This connection may be adjustable if desired.

Operation The parts in Fig. 1 are all illustrated in the so-called inoperative position. When welding is to be elected, the rod I8 is touched to work I2. This closes a high resistance circuit from source I0 and line I3 through line 46, coil 42 and line 48 to line I6, thus Shunting the main switch I9. Being a high resistance circuit only a small spark can be drawn. However, this circuit energizes ysolenoid 42 so that bridging bar I9 is elevated with and -by the core 49 to the intermediate open position, see A-A.

This movement is suficient so that switch member 38 by means of spring 40 engages contact 3l. Upon this engagement solenoid 26 is energized and the shield is moved to closed pcsition in opposition to spring means 25. When the shield is in fully closed position, switch 2930 is opened by arm 24a for resistance 36a to protect solenoid 26. The other coil 4I is then energized through lines 44-45 and switch 4311-43 as by the same member 24a but by the other end thereof.

Since now both coils 4I and 42 are energized,

the dual solenoid 99 is completely energized and only then is main switch I9 fully closed, thereby establishing the complete welding circuit which will be maintained as long as the shutter 24 is in closed position and while switches 37-38 and illand I5-2I are closed. Closing of the two latter switches does not short out solenoid 99 because of resistance 60 in line I3.

Obviously, when the arc is lost, broken, drawn or blown out, all solenoids are de-energized and spring means 25 returns to the lens 24 to open 'position. The cycle is then repeated by touching the work, etc. Should the shield open, switch 4343a will open and just prior to the shield exposing any part of the opening, thus de-energizing coil 4I, whereupon the welding circuit switch I9-20-2I drops to the dotted line open position A-A, even though coil 42 remains energized and the welding circuit will .be opened.

Reference will now be had to Fig. 2 wherein the reverse form is illustrated. Herein I 00 nunmerals indicate like or comparable parts. I-Ierein springs I 25 close the lens whenever solenoid |26 is de-energized, which occurs when normally 'closed switch I 31-I 38 is opened which is when `.the electrode touches the work to energize coil I42 only. The welding circuit is only closed when coil I4I also is energized by switch One disadvantage of this type is solenoid |26 is always energized when no work is being done. With Fig. 1 type the solenoid 26 is only energized when the electrode is grounded. However, this Fig. 2 form has the advantage that if the control current fails the shield is normally held closed or in eye protecting position. As :before stated, both forms function similarly except as to springs 40 and |40 which operate reversely since the respective switches are reversed.

The numerals utilized in Figs. 1 and 2 are used in Figs. 1A and 2A respectively. These circuits differ in that, instead of resistance 60 or |60 respectively being employed, line I3 or II3 includes a series resistance 60a or |6011, respectively in the form of a coil making structure 99 and |99 triple in character.

The operation of the form illustrated in Fig. l-A is identical to that for Fig. 1 and in Fig. 2-A is identical to that for Fig. 2.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in great detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character.

The several modications described herein, as well as others which will readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in this art, all are con- Sidered to be within the broad scope of the invention, reference being had to the appended claim.

The invention claimed is:

In a welding'apparatus having a welding circuit switch normally constrained to open position and a helmet having an opening protectable by a shield movable into and out of registration with the opening, movement in one direction being electrically controlled, the combination of electrically operable means for effecting such control, switch means for controlling such electrically operable means, electrically operable multiple means for closing the welding circuit switch, one of the multiple means being connected in shunt across the last mentioned switch and always energized when the work is electrode engaged, another switch means normally open and being closed only when the shield is fully registered with the opening and being in series with another of the electrically operable multiple means for energization thereof, total multiple means energization only effecting closing of the welding circuit switch, and partial energization of the electrically operable multiple means effecting the operation of the electrically operable means switch means when the Work is electrode engaged.

WILGUS S. BROFFITT. I-I. F. MONTAGUE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the i'lle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,036,224 Lincoln et al Apr. 7, 1936 2,384,517 Zimmerman et al. Sept. 11, 1945 

